HCND listened to the Fetty Wap album so you don’t have to, but you should anyway.
One of the great beauties of the Internet is its ability to create a Cinderella story. Taking away the middle man and allowing talent to be dissemenated to the masses in record time, it’s given us some of the most important and memorable pieces of modern popular culture. Vine stars, YouTubers, Soundcloud rappers, Tumblr bloggers and the like are not only profiting off of this industry but making their ways into the Zitgeist as part of a culture that didn’t exist within most of our lifetimes.
The meteoric rise of Fetty Wap, a previously unknown trap rappper from a deeply impoverished neighborhood in Patterson, New Jersey is no exception. But when his catchy banger with a beat sent straight from Trap Heaven hit YouTube, this self-affirmed dope slinger went from neighborhood dealer to bonafide star and the face of “Trap&B” in the mainstream consciousness.
“Trap Queen” was a refreshing take on the thug anthem, thanking his ride or die chick for being part of his hustle, harkening back to the days of Ja Rule/Ashanti/J-Lo collabs where rappers talked just as much about their love for the women they loved as they did Raris and Lambos. People ate it up and they still do.
So, here we are, nearly a year and a half PTQ (post-Trap Queen) and Fetty Wap has finally released a studio album. Unlike his peers, Fetty took his sweet time releasing a debut, dropping hit single after hit single in the downtime and it didn’t seem to hurt him any.
“My Way” and “Again” followed by “679” have all enjoyed their respective successes on the charts and don’t seem to be going anywhere. And yet, people still worried that Fetty would flare out. Maybe his catchy beats, gritty singing, and party boy vibe would lose its appeal. Or maybe these hits were a fluke. But his self-titled album assures us that if the Fetty formula worked for you, there’s a lot more where that came from.
Fetty went from handing his mixtape out on street corners to performing in a stadium with Taylor Swift in the span of a year and a half, with no label and a fierce sense of loyalty to his crew that hasn’t seemed to die out. This album is noticeably missing Drake’s verse on “My Way.”
In fact the ony features are the album are from other Remy Boyz which seems to further signal that Fetty’s loyalty to his squad isn’t limited to the dozens of shout outs he gives them on every track. It’s easy to understand when you remember how quickly Fetty got on the come-up. In the intro to the tracks posted on his YouTube page (he posted the entire album there), Fetty thanks fans for his success telling them: “Last year I didn’t have an address. This year I have five addresses. If it wasn’t for y’all, Fetty Wap wouldn’t be here.”
This is why I love Fetty Wap and why I’m rooting so hard for him to be a lasting face in the industry. He’s got a perpetual sense of gratitude and loyalty to everyone who was part of making his dreams a reality: his Trap Queen, the Remy Boyz, his fans, and himself.
The album starts out with the song that started it all “Trap Queen” setting the tone for what you can expect from the rest of the album: sick beats, gritty autotuned vocals, infectious melody and shoutouts to the squad. Next up is “How We Do Things” a manifesto of the Remy Boyz, Zooap(?) Army reminding all listeners that they hustle the hardest, steal the best b*****s and all the other typical ‘we da best’ attributes of a squad anthem and the album sends mostly the same message. If you’re looking for an introspective, sophisicated Fetty you might be disappointed. It’s a work mostly made up of jams to be played in basements of college house parties for months to come and that’s not a bad thing.
With 17 tracks to choose from, there’s something for everyone. It’s a trippy, booze filled ride to the top narrated by Fetty and the squad he refuses to abandon and definitely worth your time.
Highlights:
Future-esque influences in the trippy “I Wonder” which sounds like a too turnt stoner rambling about his hustle.
It’s Trap Queen part deux. Fetty is unafraid to put his feelings on the line cause his cred is locked up.
Another sappy anthem from the Trap lord to his Queen.
The Trap equivalent to “We’re all In this Together.”
A drug fueled piece of nostalgia dedicated to his crew
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